Just a day earlier, a report by the emergency manager in charge of the city, Kevyn Orr, who hired the city's new top cop, made national headlines for a detailed look at a city frighteningly close to bankruptcy.

Bing, a man who swore to bring back integrity and decorum to a City Hall battered by Kwame Kilpatrick-era corruption, rarely showed irritation at such circumstances, even as the city's finances and politics spun beyond his control.

In many ways, Detroit overtook Dave Bing, and political analysts said Tuesday that it was no surprise that the 69-year-old former basketball standout and businessman bowed out after a rocky tenure marked by one incontrovertible fact: On Bing's watch, the state took over Detroit.

"My devotion to Detroit and Detroiters is unwavering," Bing told an audience gathered at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History on Tuesday, where he announced his decision not to seek a second full term. "I love the compassion, tenacity and commitment of Detroiters, and that's why I've stayed here, and that is why I ran for mayor, to right the things that are wrong, and to change conditions and the conversation about our city."

Bing, the city's 62nd mayor who will finish out his first full term after winning a special election in 2009 to replace the disgraced Kilpatrick, said he will not be content to stay out of the political arena and will form an exploratory committee to run for Wayne County (Mich.) executive or possibly another office, so he can remain involved in efforts to improve Detroit.

Asked what led him to decide not to run for re-election, Bing told the Detroit Free Press he no longer wants to work 60-70 hours a week -- demanding on him and his family -- for a job with diminished powers.

"I still think I can have a positive impact in the city, but I also accept the fact that I don't have the authority to make final decisions," Bing said. "So I'm sure there are going to be some decisions made that I don't agree with, and I don't want to be linked to that. I've always been pretty independent, yet I'm a team player. But if it's something I can't buy into, I won't just go along to get along."

In reality, Bing also would have had a difficult fight just to make it past the city's Aug. 6 primary. Early polls of the mayoral race have shown his support among voters to be 11% or lower, far behind front runners Benny Napoleon and Mike Duggan.

The state's appointment of an emergency manager overshadowed much of what Bing accomplished, from helping establish regional authorities to manage Cobo Center, public transportation and the city's water department to deep cuts in the city's workforce as budget shortfalls rose and the crafting of his Detroit Future City plan to adjust services and resources to a shrunken city.

Karla Henderson, a top Bing administration official and a friend of the mayor, said it's unfair that Bing might take the rap for the city's financial crisis that's been brewing for 40-50 years as Detroit steadily lost population and jobs and its neighborhoods declined, even amid mismanagement and corruption in earlier administrations and a drop in revenue sharing from the state.

Bing warned in 2009 that Detroit's financial picture was bleak, and the city's condition only deteriorated to the point that Gov. Rick Snyder appointed Orr as emergency manager, effectively neutering Bing and the City Council after a financial stability agreement with the state failed to turn things around.

Orr commended Bing "for his service to the city of Detroit and its citizens. The work that he has begun has set Detroit on a path to achieve many of the goals necessary for the city to thrive. These last two months have been a productive partnership that I look forward to continuing for the balance of the year."

Bing, who has opposed an emergency manager over the years and later softened his stance, questioned the state's involvement in some city matters.

"I have to wonder if the state is truly interested in a partnership," Bing said in a swipe at Snyder.

Snyder said Tuesday that "we've worked very hard to be a good partner. We just need to redouble that effort and do even more in a faster period of time."

Snyder said he was appreciative of Bing's efforts.

"He's had to take on a lot of tough issues and he's done a lot of good things and I hope he can keep that positive relationship going through the rest of his tenure in office," Snyder said.

Bing's interest in running for Wayne County executive shocked some on Detroit's City Council and raised immediate doubts about whether he could win.

If he runs for executive, Bing still will have to appeal to Detroit residents, Council President Charles Pugh said.

"Whatever research he did that convinced him not to run for mayor, I hope he realizes that that's going to be the largest voting bloc in the county - Detroiters," said Pugh. "So if Detroiters won't accept him as mayor why does he think they would accept him as their county executive?"